Things I've Heard, Vol. 1

Since music is a fairly large part of my life, I decided to talk about a few of the new CDs and digital downloads I've enjoyed in the past few weeks.

• The Mighty Underdogs - Droppin' Science Fiction - The latest of hip hop supergroups, this CD on Def Jux label has been a joy to listen to. With Gift of Gab from Blackalicious and Lateef the Truth Speaker from Latyrx (and their producer Headnodic), this trio fell together after Lateef got together with Headnodic to make a solo album and Gift of Gab decided to drop in to collaborate with Lateef. If you're a fan of Blackalicious or enjoy a good J5 track, you'll like this. Inventive beats and a some great cameos from MF Doom on "Gun Fight" and one of my favorite MCs, Lyrics Born, on "ILL Vacation," make for a fun record, through and through.


• Sprengjuhöllin - Sprengjuhöllin - Dying for a little more Icelandic pop music in your life? Want to support the failing Icelandic economy? Well, either reason is a fine one to listen to Sprengjuhöllin. I have a severe soft spot for indie pop music and Sprengjuhöllin really delivers on the promise. Songs like Keyrum Yfir Ísland (rockin' out!) and Worry 'til Spring (ballad! gorgeous!) show just how much talent these guys have. If you want to be down with Iceland, this is definitely a disc or digital download you should consider.


• TV on the Radio - Dear Science - Obviously my favorite band would make it to this list of recent favorites. I'm not one to push TV on the Radio onto others, because they just are not the type of band anyone would want to listen to. But, the fact is, Dear Science is the most accessible CD the troupe has put out and therefore, I'm not pushing it on others to give a listen. They really try to make this album more "fun" than the others, which unfortunately means less substance, but they've taken part in that race and now want to explore a new version of themselves. This is a dandy.

• Marching Band - Spark Large - I don't think I've had a band stick around on my iTunes for very long without giving them a listen, however Marching Band is the exception and I made a terrible mistake for doing so. If you like The Shins, you'll probably dig Marching Band as well and if you wish The Magnetic Fields weren't so droopy, you'll enjoy the fresh Swedish pop of Marching Band. Do yourself a favor and at least check out the song, "Travel in Time."

• The BPA - Toejam (feat. Dizzee Rascal & David Byrne) - Ok. You caught me. This is only one song. But, I love it. It makes me so happy. And the music video will make anyone happy, whether you like the song or not. Boom.

That should be enough music to keep you happy for a few hours. By all means, if you've heard something wonderful lately, let other people know. In particular, let me know. Happy listening!